Consumer electronic devices are often controlled by remote controls. Typically these remote controls or “remotes” are handheld devices having a series of buttons. Some remotes have a limited LED display and, in the case of “all in one” or “multi-remotes”, control more than one device. Devices which are traditionally controlled by such remotes include televisions, VCR's, stereo receivers, CD players and other similar devices.
The remotes control the devices by sending the device a command code that is encoded in an infrared (IR) signal. The command code causes the device to execute a particular operation. For instance, the remote may send an “off” command to the TV which causes the TV to turn off. Each device has its own unique set of commands and corresponding command codes. The remote has to be manually programmed for each device it seeks to control. For example, to program a device, a user may be instructed to enter a device code (such as 247) by pressing numbers on the keypad of the remote. For a second device, the user might be instructed instead to enter the device code of 249. The device code serves as an index into a code table which has been pre-programmed into the remote. The code table identifies the proper command codes for the associated device. A user can then use the remote to control the device whose codes the remote has identified.
This current approach has some major drawbacks. First, the approach does not readily accommodate new devices. The remote does not have access to command codes for the new devices because the pre-programmed tables of codes pre-date the new device's date of creation and are structurally fixed. Additionally, this approach requires the manual configuring of the remote by a user who may or may not perform the procedure correctly. An additional problem is that, the majority of remotes that are in use today are “line of sight” remotes that require close proximity with no obstacles between the remote and the de vice. The IR signals must have an unobstructed path from transmitter to receiver in order to be effective. Yet another problem is that the types of devices capable of being controlled by a remote are restricted for the most part to consumer electronic devices for which the remotes are programmed in advance.